Mgt 330 Management Planning Paper

Management Planning Paper MGT 330 Management Planning Paper The Boeing Corporation is the world’s leading aerospace company and is the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners as well as military aircrafts. Boeing has teams that manufacture missiles, satellites, defense systems, and communication systems. NASA turns to Boeing when they need something and Boeing operates the International Space Station. Boeing has a broad range of capabilities and skills, which is probably the reason they are the world’s leading aerospace company.With the Boeing headquarters in Chicago, more than 170,000 people in 70 different countries find themselves employed with the corporation and most of them hold a college degree (Boeing Corporation,  2012). It takes many hard working employees and managers to make Boeing a successful corporation. This paper will discuss the planning function of management, analyze the influence of legal issues, ethics, and corporate social responsibility an d their effects on management planning. I will also analyze factors that influence the company’s strategic, tactical, operational, and contingency planning as they relate to the Boeing Corporation.The planning function of management is the process of setting goals within the corporation that are expected to be achieved over a set period. Therefore, Boeing got to be the world’s leading aerospace company by setting such goals. The Boeing Corporation has engineer departments, sales departments, mechanical departments, and product testing departments among a few others. Each individual department will have set goals put in place by corporate and guidelines regarding how they should achieve the desired goal for each project.Each goal is designed for each department to become the most efficient in their levels. There are six steps in management planning. The steps listed in provided course materials are situational analysis, alternative goals and plans, goal and plan evaluat ion, goal and plan selection, implementation, and monitor and control (Thomas S. Bateman, Scott A. Snell,  2009). Step one gathers and summarizes information that is in question. It examines current conditions with an attempt at forecasting future conditions. Step two generates alternative goals that may be used as an alternate if the first desired plan does not ork. Step three evaluates the potential of the alternative goals and prioritizes/eliminates ones that might or might not work. Step four in management planning is the selecting of goals believed to be most appropriate and feasible by the managers. Step five implements the goals and plans into action by managers. Goal achievement is likely to be linked to the organization’s reward system to encourage employees to achieve the goals and implement plans properly (Thomas S. Bateman, Scott A. Snell,  2009). Step six is essential in making sure goals and plans are met.If the goals and plans are not monitored and controll ed managers would not know if they were ever met successfully. Boeing the huge corporation that it is has had its fair share of legal issues. The corporation has to pay special attention to detail when it concerns obeying the laws and regulations in regard the manufacturing of aircraft. The planes must be tested for safety and flying ability before they ever hit the mainstream public. Notices on the aircraft tell passengers when they should be buckled and when it is considered safe to unbuckle. Engineers have to provide manuals for the aircrafts in case any issues may arise when in use.Ethical issues come into play when Boeing makes bids to other corporations like the military or NASA. They are not allowed to charge prices that people believe to be unfair or make any changes after things have already been agreed upon. This means that the sales department has to plan how much they want to sell their product for. The main corporate social responsibility that Boeing has is safety. They have to engineer items safe for the public to be on/use. With Boeing being the world’s leading Aerospace Corporation, millions of people rely on the use of their products.That means that engineers have to know the latest safety information and managers have to make sure that they put the safety information to use. Strategic planning is used by the Boeing Corporation when making new aircraft and other items. They have to figure out how to market their item just right so that buyers will be interested in it. This planning has led Boeing to make planes more efficient and comfortable for passengers to ride on. Tactical planning is organized for competition, such as Airbus and demand for product. Boeing is a competitor of Airbus, which is another aerospace engineering corporation.Boeing has to be aware of competitor’s new products and when they will be released. This means that they have to formulate and release products either better or more efficient than the competition ’s. Operational planning identifies the specific procedures and processes required at the lower-levels within an organization (Thomas S. Bateman, Scott A. Snell,  2009). So within the Boeing Corporation this would be those who deal with the delivery schedules and human resources departments. Every plane that takes off or leaves an airport has to be scheduled and the arrival/departure times displayed so that the public is aware.Human resources is responsible for the hiring/firing of Boeing’s many employees and any issues consumers may have with a product or service. If someone believes that they did not have a good experience in the flight he or she would call the resource department, and the department would most likely do everything in his or her power to make the person feel better. Contingency plans are put in place in case of any challenges that may arise when making their products. A good example of Boeing’s contingency plan is in 2008 they were trying to produce 40 aircraft a year but the United States hit an economic crisis.This meant that Boeing had to cut back their number of aircraft being created so they did not feel the effects of the economic crisis. So Boeing did not become the world’s leading aerospace corporation by doing nothing. It took hard work, planning, and management. There are six steps in management planning that corporations follow to try to ensure their survival in a competitive world. Boeing has had its fair share of legal and ethical issues and tries to abide by the rules and regulations for safety set forth by the goverment. Boeing tries to keep a strategic plan when creating new products and a tactical plan on how to market their items.Operational planning identifies the specific procedures and processes required at the lower-levels within an organization (Thomas S. Bateman, Scott A. Snell,  2009). Boeing demonstrates this with arrival/departure schedules. Finally Boeing has a contingency plan in p lace in case plan A is not able to be put into place. References The  Boeing Corporation. (2012). Boeing: About Us. Retrieved from http://www. boeing. com/companyoffices/aboutus/ Boeing Case Study. (2012). Boeing Case Study: The 787 Dreamliner, 1-17. Wall, R. , & Flottau, J. (2010). Stress Test.Aviation Week & Space Technology, 172(30), 36. Thomas S. Bateman, Scott A. Snell. (2009). Chapter 4: Planning and Strategic Management. Retrieved from Thomas S. Bateman, Scott A. Snell, MGT 330 website. The Boeing Corporation. (1995-2012). StartupBoeing – Business Planning. Retrieved from http://www. boeing. com/commercial/startup/planning. html Pritchard, D. , MacPherson A. (n. d. ). Industrial Subsidies and the Politics of World Trade: The Case of the Boeing 7e7. The Boeing Corporation. Retrieved from http://igeographer. lib. indstate. edu/pritchard. pdf

Nonfiction Piece

Essay ProposalThis piece draws a portrait of a stranger in a coffee shop. Offering a kind of weekly enigma to me, she has come to represent the constant allure of mystery in the seemingly trivial. This essay focuses on that enigma, and the possible answers I have for them.I start the essay with a snapshot of what this woman is. What does she look like? What does she do? In giving a descriptive appraisal at the beginning, I lay the foundation of the mystery. I note her gestures – the faint inclination of her head when she looks at her watch, the expectation apparent on her face when someone walks through the door, and the inevitable disappointment almost every time – and raise the question that would bring us closer to â€Å"solving† her mystery: Why? Why does she look the way she does? Why does she act this way? Why is she there? In this part of the essay, I create the mythos I have woven about her through the answers to these questions.In this essay, I depict he r as I see her – the woman waiting. Because of the questions she has raised in me, I have assigned her an identity.  This essay presents her as what she seems to be, and then seeks to go further, bringing both reader and author along for a venture into who she is, or at least, what she might be. In writing this, I thrust the philosophy that everyone really has a story. The natural inclination of the curious man is to find out. And if one cannot know, then you can always let your imagination run free.Literary Nonfiction EssayThere she is again, alone in the table at the far corner. Today, she has brought books with her: sonnets by Pablo Neruda, a creative writing textbook, and a discredited memoir. The book of poetry has been opened, and rests on her lap. A notebook, bound in leather, lies open on the table. A pen rests on the stark whiteness of the pages. She is looking at none of these. She smokes bent cigarettes every five minutes or so. She drinks her coffee as she glanc es at the door, trying not to look as if she were truly alone – that by looking at the doorway once in a while, she can pretend (and the world with her) that someone is coming to meet her.  Her cellphone, too, lies open. She takes a bite from her slice of lemon cake. The phone's screen remains dark, no matter how long she stares at it.Outside it is raining.She looks up, scans the crowd, most of whom are oblivious of her presence. I cannot be. I have known her for far too long. No, I do not know her name, and I do not think I will ever ask. But I have seen her so many times before, her presence is more familiar than a stranger’s should be. Today, I have positioned myself only two tables away from her. Because I know I can never march up to her and demand what she is, I content myself with absorbing everything I can of her. I have sat closer to her today. I cannot help this fascination. I simply want to know.Her gaze finally rests beyond me, towards the door. I see her face more clearly than I ever have before, after all these weeks. Oval, and wan – her forehead is high, her eyes wide and dark. It is not a delicate face, for perhaps the prolonged sadness has seeped into her bones that her face has toughened, has become stronger. Her cheeks jut out and her lips are thin and pale. Her mouth is arranged into its usual tightness. She sighs when the door opens, then closes, and turns away. She looks at her watch. She sighs once more, leafs through the open book of poetry.When will she realize that she is the only woman in a cafe of lovers? Or has she always known? She has one mug all to herself, the others have to share. One cup of coffee, one white porcelain rim, for two bleeding mouths of bleeding hearts.  Inevitably, I think of the possibility of the reluctant lover. Every week, I see her here, always alone. I have never seen her leave with someone. I have never seen anyone, man or woman, stride over to her table, hold her hand, to lead he r outside.Perhaps she has waited with the smallest of hopes that soon, someone would come to end the waiting. But perhaps the reluctant lover roams now the asphalt streets, in a suit and tie, a briefcase hanging from one hand as though it is an extension of his body. And this woman, with her poems and novels and empty notebooks – she is here, waiting, being watched by a person who has seen enough of her to realize that she is waiting.  Another woman – more of a girl, really – is at another corner. But she smokes her cigarette with the ease of one who knows that someone will meet her. Soon she will be gone and this woman, this woman, would light another cigarette and turn another page of one the books she has brought.I see her cellphone buzz, vibrating on the surface of the table. She twitches, then snatches it. Her eyes run over the illuminated screen, taking in the message quickly. Then, her lip curls, and she tosses her cellphone back to the table.Has she be en told that she has to wait longer?She returns to her book but her gaze is blanker now. This book she has been reading has quite possibly turned out to be a chore and all too soon, the words blur until they are white. There is too much of her coffee, and the crystal grains of sugar have refused to melt. The lemon cake crumbles. Even her cigarette offends her, and she puts it out, only half-consumed.  With her, this woman, her waiting – things pale and darken at the same time. Knowing these things are just distractions, something to pass the time that just seems to crawl slower and slower that it sometimes falls still: the coffee cannot be finished, the cigarette doesn’t burn, the page goes on and on and on. Something has cloaked her – is it the knowledge that all these are things she'd rather not be doing? Shouldn't be doing in the first place?She must finish her coffee, and only crumbs should be left on her plate. The book, open on her lap, can be replaced. There are two other books in her bag, and she takes them out: poetry speaking of a requited waiting.  She must think now: all this talk about unrequited love, when poetry should be made about unrequited patience: waiting for the phone to vibrate, waiting for the crumbs to settle, waiting for the coffee mug to empty, waiting for the cigarette to turn into ash, waiting for the books to turn to the last page, waiting for the rain to stop, waiting for the clock to strike ten, waiting for someone to come through the door with the spaciest of smiles just for her. Waiting, waiting, waiting.If she wrote – and I have feeling that she does, in spite of the blankness of her notebook now – how many times has she written about women like her?  She looks at her watch. Her phone vibrates one more. Listless, she picks it up, punches at the buttons. In but moments, her face clears, she sags in her chair. She is starting to smile.  I wonder then: the reluctant lover (but only in h er mind, only when they are not together.) Has the un-reluctant lover tells her that he is near? Would Neruda, then, glow again?Because she is a woman who waits diligently albeit unwillingly, week after week, later, she will be disgusted with how much everything makes sense now. Even waiting in a parked car, while errands are run, will make her smile. The rain will fall harder. The drops will be opaque against the windshield and yet it shall leave shadows on her jeans.Oh, that smile.And she will think: Everything should be a familiar novelty, a novel familiarity. Yes, even waiting for him to come back with a bag or two of bread, while a Japanese love song drifts from the radio. She will think the song talks of a fulfilled longing, of a waiting ended.  But now, she is still waiting. But now she is sure that someone shall come for her.  She looks at me, sees me watching her. The smile she gives me is fleeting, the token nicety for strangers who stare too long at you. I smile back at her.She looks at the doorway, but it seems more out of habit, than anticipation.One last look, then it is time for me to go. Nonfiction Piece Essay ProposalThis piece draws a portrait of a stranger in a coffee shop. Offering a kind of weekly enigma to me, she has come to represent the constant allure of mystery in the seemingly trivial. This essay focuses on that enigma, and the possible answers I have for them.I start the essay with a snapshot of what this woman is. What does she look like? What does she do? In giving a descriptive appraisal at the beginning, I lay the foundation of the mystery. I note her gestures – the faint inclination of her head when she looks at her watch, the expectation apparent on her face when someone walks through the door, and the inevitable disappointment almost every time – and raise the question that would bring us closer to â€Å"solving† her mystery: Why? Why does she look the way she does? Why does she act this way? Why is she there? In this part of the essay, I create the mythos I have woven about her through the answers to these questions.In this essay, I depict he r as I see her – the woman waiting. Because of the questions she has raised in me, I have assigned her an identity.This essay presents her as what she seems to be, and then seeks to go further, bringing both reader and author along for a venture into who she is, or at least, what she might be. In writing this, I thrust the philosophy that everyone really has a story. The natural inclination of the curious man is to find out. And if one cannot know, then you can always let your imagination run free.Literary Nonfiction EssayThere she is again, alone in the table at the far corner. Today, she has brought books with her: sonnets by Pablo Neruda, a creative writing textbook, and a discredited memoir. The book of poetry has been opened, and rests on her lap. A notebook, bound in leather, lies open on the table. A pen rests on the stark whiteness of the pages. She is looking at none of these. She smokes bent cigarettes every five minutes or so. She drinks her coffee as she glances a t the door, trying not to look as if she were truly alone – that by looking at the doorway once in a while, she can pretend (and the world with her) that someone is coming to meet her.Her cellphone, too, lies open. She takes a bite from her slice of lemon cake. The phone's screen remains dark, no matter how long she stares at it.Outside it is raining.She looks up, scans the crowd, most of whom are oblivious of her presence. I cannot be. I have known her for far too long. No, I do not know her name, and I do not think I will ever ask. But I have seen her so many times before, her presence is more familiar than a stranger’s should be. Today, I have positioned myself only two tables away from her. Because I know I can never march up to her and demand what she is, I content myself with absorbing everything I can of her. I have sat closer to her today. I cannot help this fascination. I simply want to know.Her gaze finally rests beyond me, towards the door. I see her face mo re clearly than I ever have before, after all these weeks. Oval, and wan – her forehead is high, her eyes wide and dark. It is not a delicate face, for perhaps the prolonged sadness has seeped into her bones that her face has toughened, has become stronger. Her cheeks jut out and her lips are thin and pale. Her mouth is arranged into its usual tightness. She sighs when the door opens, then closes, and turns away. She looks at her watch. She sighs once more, leafs through the open book of poetry.When will she realize that she is the only woman in a cafe of lovers? Or has she always known? She has one mug all to herself, the others have to share. One cup of coffee, one white porcelain rim, for two bleeding mouths of bleeding hearts.Inevitably, I think of the possibility of the reluctant lover. Every week, I see her here, always alone. I have never seen her leave with someone. I have never seen anyone, man or woman, stride over to her table, hold her hand, to lead her outside.Pe rhaps she has waited with the smallest of hopes that soon, someone would come to end the waiting. But perhaps the reluctant lover roams now the asphalt streets, in a suit and tie, a briefcase hanging from one hand as though it is an extension of his body. And this woman, with her poems and novels and empty notebooks – she is here, waiting, being watched by a person who has seen enough of her to realize that she is waiting.Another woman – more of a girl, really – is at another corner. But she smokes her cigarette with the ease of one who knows that someone will meet her. Soon she will be gone and this woman, this woman, would light another cigarette and turn another page of one the books she has brought.I see her cellphone buzz, vibrating on the surface of the table. She twitches, then snatches it. Her eyes run over the illuminated screen, taking in the message quickly. Then, her lip curls, and she tosses her cellphone back to the table.Has she been told that she has to wait longer?She returns to her book but her gaze is blanker now. This book she has been reading has quite possibly turned out to be a chore and all too soon, the words blur until they are white. There is too much of her coffee, and the crystal grains of sugar have refused to melt. The lemon cake crumbles. Even her cigarette offends her, and she puts it out, only half-consumed.With her, this woman, her waiting – things pale and darken at the same time. Knowing these things are just distractions, something to pass the time that just seems to crawl slower and slower that it sometimes falls still: the coffee cannot be finished, the cigarette doesn’t burn, the page goes on and on and on. Something has cloaked her – is it the knowledge that all these are things she'd rather not be doing? Shouldn't be doing in the first place?She must finish her coffee, and only crumbs should be left on her plate. The book, open on her lap, can be replaced. There are two other books in her bag, and she takes them out: poetry speaking of a requited waiting.She must think now: all this talk about unrequited love, when poetry should be made about unrequited patience: waiting for the phone to vibrate, waiting for the crumbs to settle, waiting for the coffee mug to empty, waiting for the cigarette to turn into ash, waiting for the books to turn to the last page, waiting for the rain to stop, waiting for the clock to strike ten, waiting for someone to come through the door with the spaciest of smiles just for her. Waiting, waiting, waiting.If she wrote – and I have feeling that she does, in spite of the blankness of her notebook now – how many times has she written about women like her?She looks at her watch. Her phone vibrates one more. Listless, she picks it up, punches at the buttons. In but moments, her face clears, she sags in her chair. She is starting to smile.I wonder then: the reluctant lover (but only in her mind, only when they are not together.) Has the un-reluctant lover tells her that he is near? Would Neruda, then, glow again?Because she is a woman who waits diligently albeit unwillingly, week after week, later, she will be disgusted with how much everything makes sense now. Even waiting in a parked car, while errands are run, will make her smile. The rain will fall harder. The drops will be opaque against the windshield and yet it shall leave shadows on her jeans.Oh, that smile.And she will think: Everything should be a familiar novelty, a novel familiarity. Yes, even waiting for him to come back with a bag or two of bread, while a Japanese love song drifts from the radio. She will think the song talks of a fulfilled longing, of a waiting ended.But now, she is still waiting. But now she is sure that someone shall come for her.She looks at me, sees me watching her. The smile she gives me is fleeting, the token nicety for strangers who stare too long at you. I smile back at her.She looks at the doorway, but it seems more out of habit, than anticipation.One last look, then it is time for me to go.

Blood Promise Chapter Ten

Everyone had hit it off so well at lunch with Avery that the group had gotten together again that evening and had kind of a wild time. Lissa was thinking about that as she sat in her first-period English class the next morning. They'd stayed up late last night, sneaking out past curfew. The memory brought a smile to Lissa's face, even as she stifled a yawn. I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of jealousy. I knew Avery was responsible for Lissa's happiness, and that bothered me on a petty level. Yet†¦ Avery's new friendship was also making me feel less guilty about leaving Lissa. Lissa yawned again. It was hard to concentrate on The Scarlet Letter while fighting a slight hangover. Avery seemed to have a never-ending supply of liquor. Adrian had taken to this right away, but Lissa had been a little more hesitant. She'd abandoned her partying days a long time ago, but she'd finally succumbed last night and drunk more glasses of wine than she really should have. It wasn't unlike my situation with the vodka, ironically enough. Both of us overindulging, despite being miles and miles apart. Suddenly, a high-pitched wail pierced the air. Lissa's head shot up, along with everyone else's in the class. In a corner of the room, a small fire alarm flashed and shrieked its warning. Naturally, some students started cheering while some pretended to be scared. The rest just looked surprised and waited. Lissa's instructor also looked a little caught off guard, and after a quick examination, Lissa decided this wasn't a planned alarm. Teachers usually had a heads-up when there were drills, and Ms. Malloy didn't wear the usual weary expression teachers had when trying to figure out how much time the drill would cut from their lessons. â€Å"Up and at 'em,† said Ms. Malloy in annoyance, grabbing a clipboard. â€Å"You know where to go.† Fire drill procedure was pretty standard. Lissa followed the others and fell in step with Christian. â€Å"Did you set this up?† she teased. â€Å"Nope. Wish I had, though. This class is killing me.† â€Å"You? I have the worst headache ever.† He gave her a knowing grin. â€Å"Let that be a lesson to you, Little Miss Lush.† She made a face in return and gave him a light punch. They reached their class's meeting spot out on the quad and joined in the semblance of a line the others were trying to form. Ms. Malloy arrived and checked everyone off on her clipboard, satisfied no one had been left behind. â€Å"I don't think this was planned,† said Lissa. â€Å"Agreed,† said Christian. â€Å"Which means even if there's no fire, it might take a while.† â€Å"Well, then. No use waiting around, huh?† Christian and Lissa turned around in surprise at the voice behind them and saw Avery. She wore a purple sweater dress and black heels that seemed totally out of place on the wet grass. â€Å"What are you doing here?† asked Lissa. â€Å"Figured you'd be in your room.† â€Å"Whatever. It's so boring there. I had to come liberate you guys.† â€Å"You did this?† asked Christian, slightly impressed. Avery shrugged. â€Å"I told you, I was bored. Now, come on while it's still chaotic.† Christian and Lissa exchanged glances. â€Å"Well,† said Lissa slowly, â€Å"I suppose they did already take attendance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hurry!† said Avery. Her excitement was contagious, and, feeling bold, Lissa hurried after her, Christian in tow. With all the milling students, no one noticed them cutting across the campus-until they reached the outside of guest housing. Simon stood leaning against the door, and Lissa stiffened. They were busted. â€Å"Everything set?† Avery asked him. Simon, definitely the strong-and-silent type, gave a swift nod as his only answer before straightening up. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and walked off. Lissa stared in amazement. â€Å"He just†¦ he just let us go? And is he in on it?† Simon wasn't on campus as a teacher, but still†¦ that didn't necessarily mean he'd let students skip out on class because of a faked fire drill. Avery grinned mischievously, watching him go. â€Å"We've been together for a while. He's got better things to do than babysit us.† She led them inside, but instead of going to her room, they cut off to a different section of the building and went somewhere I knew well: Adrian's room. Avery beat on the door. â€Å"Hey, Ivashkov! Open up.† Lissa slapped a hand over her mouth to smother her giggles. â€Å"So much for stealth. Everyone's going to hear you.† â€Å"I need him to hear me,† Avery argued. She kept pounding on the door and yelling, and finally, Adrian answered. His hair stuck up at odd angles, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He'd drunk twice as much as Lissa last night. â€Å"What†¦?† He blinked. â€Å"Shouldn't you guys be in class? Oh God. I didn't sleep that much, did I?† â€Å"Let us in,† said Avery, pushing past. â€Å"We've got refugees from a fire here.† She flounced onto his couch, making herself at home while he continued staring. Lissa and Christian joined her. â€Å"Avery sprang the fire alarm,† explained Lissa. â€Å"Nice work,† said Adrian, collapsing into a fluffy chair. â€Å"But why'd you have to come here? Is this the only place that's not burning down?† Avery batted her eyelashes at him. â€Å"Aren't you happy to see us?† He eyed her speculatively for a moment. â€Å"Always happy to see you.† Lissa was normally pretty straitlaced about this kind of thing, but something about it amused her. It was so wild, so silly†¦ it was a break from all her recent worries. â€Å"It's not going to take them that long to figure it out, you know. They could be letting everyone in right now.† â€Å"They could be,† agreed Avery, putting her feet up on the coffee table. â€Å"But I have it on good authority that another alarm is going to go off in the school once they open the doors.† â€Å"How the hell did you manage that?† asked Christian. â€Å"Top secret.† Adrian rubbed his eyes and was clearly amused by this, despite the abrupt wake-up. â€Å"You can't pull fire alarms all day, Lazar.† â€Å"Actually, I have it on good authority that once they give the all-clear on a second alarm, a third's going to go off.† Lissa laughed out loud, though a lot of it was due more to the guys' reactions and less to Avery's announcement. Christian, in fits of antisocial rebellion, had set people on fire. Adrian spent most of his days drunk and chain-smoking. For a cute society girl like Avery to astonish them, something truly remarkable had to happen. Avery looked very pleased at having outdone them. â€Å"If the interrogation's over now,† she said, â€Å"aren't you going to offer your guests any refreshments?† Adrian stood up and yawned. â€Å"Fine, fine, you insolent girl. I'll make coffee.† â€Å"With a kick?† She inclined her head toward Adrian's liquor cabinet. â€Å"You have got to be kidding,† said Christian. â€Å"Do you even have a liver left?† Avery wandered over to the cabinet and picked up a bottle of something. She held it out to Lissa. â€Å"You game?† Even Lissa's morning rebelliousness had limits. The wine headache still throbbed in her skull. â€Å"Ugh, no.† â€Å"Cowards,† said Avery. She turned back to Adrian. â€Å"Well then, Mr. Ivashkov, you'd best put on the pot. I always like a little coffee with my brandy.† Not long after that, I faded away from Lissa's head and drifted back into my own, returning to the blackness of sleep and ordinary dreams. It was short-lived, however, seeing as a loud pounding soon jerked me into consciousness. My eyes flew open, and a deep, searing pain shot through the back of my skull-the aftereffects of that toxic vodka, no doubt. Lissa's hangover had nothing on mine. I started to close my eyes, wanting to sink back under and let sleep heal the worst of my pain. Then, I heard the pounding again -and worse, my whole bed shook violently. Someone was kicking it. Opening my eyes again, I turned and found myself staring into Yeva's shrewd dark eyes. If Sydney had met many dhampirs like Yeva, I could understand why she thought our race were minions of hell. Pursing her lips, Yeva kicked the bed again. â€Å"Hey,† I cried. â€Å"I'm awake, okay?† Yeva muttered something in Russian, and Paul peered around from behind her, translating. â€Å"She says you're not awake until you're actually out of bed and standing up.† And with no more warning, that sadistic old woman continued kicking the bed. I jerked upright, and the world spun around me. I'd said this before, but this time, I really meant it: I was never going to drink again. No good ever came from it. The covers looked awfully tempting to my agonized body, but a few more kicks from Yeva's pointy-toed boots made me shoot up off the bed. â€Å"Okay, okay. Are you happy now? I'm up.† Yeva's expression didn't change, but at least she stopped with the kicking. I turned to Paul. â€Å"What's going on?† â€Å"Grandmother says you have to go with her.† â€Å"Where?† â€Å"She says you don't need to know.† I started to say that I wasn't following that crazy old wench anywhere, but after one look at her scary face, I thought better of it. I didn't put it past her to be able to turn people into toads. â€Å"Fine,† I said. â€Å"I'll be ready to go once I shower and change.† Paul translated my words, but Yeva shook her head and spoke again. â€Å"She says there's no time,† he explained. â€Å"We have to go now.† â€Å"Can I at least brush my teeth?† She allowed that small concession, but a change of clothes was apparently out of the question. It was just as well. Each step I took made me feel woozy, and I probably would have passed out doing something as complicated as dressing and undressing. The clothes didn't smell or anything either; they were mostly just wrinkled from where I'd fallen asleep in them. When I got downstairs, I saw that no one else was awake except Olena. She was washing leftover dishes from last night and seemed surprised to see me up. That made two of us. â€Å"It's early for you, isn't it?† she asked. I turned and caught sight of the kitchen clock. I gasped. It was only about four hours after I'd gone to bed. â€Å"Good God. Is the sun even up?† Amazingly, it was. Olena offered to make me breakfast, but again, Yeva reiterated our time crunch. My stomach seemed to simultaneously want and loathe food, so I couldn't say if abstaining was a good thing or not. â€Å"Whatever,† I said. â€Å"Let's just go and get this over with.† Yeva walked into the living room and returned a few moments later with a large satchel. She handed it to me expectantly. I shrugged and took it, hanging it over one shoulder. It clearly had stuff in it, but it wasn't that heavy. She went back out to the other room and returned with another tote bag. I took this one too and hung it over the same shoulder, balancing both of them. This one was heavier, but my back didn't complain too much. When she left for a third time and returned with a giant box, I started to get irate. â€Å"What is this?† I demanded, taking it from her. It felt like it had bricks in it. â€Å"Grandmother needs you to carry some things,† Paul told me. â€Å"Yes,† I said through gritted teeth. â€Å"I sort of figured that out fifty pounds ago.† Yeva gave me one more box, stacking it on top of the other. It wasn't as heavy, but by this point, it honestly didn't matter. Olena shot me a sympathetic look, shook her head, and returned silently to her dishes, apparently not about to argue with Yeva. Yeva set off after that, and I followed obediently, trying to both hold the boxes and not let the bags fall off my shoulder. It was a heavy load, one my hungover body really didn't want, but I was strong enough that I figured it wouldn't be a problem to get into town or wherever she was leading me. Paul ran along at my side, apparently there to let me know if Yeva found anything along the road she wanted me to carry too. It seemed like spring was charging into Siberia far faster than it ever did into Montana. The sky was clear, and the morning sun was heating things up surprisingly fast. It was hardly summer weather, but it was definitely enough to notice. It would have made very uncomfortable walking weather for a Moroi. â€Å"Do you know where we're going?† I asked Paul. â€Å"No,† he said cheerfully. For someone so old, Yeva could move at a pretty good pace, and I found myself having to hurry to keep up with her with my load. At one point, she glanced back and said something that Paul translated as, â€Å"She's kind of surprised that you can't move faster.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I'm kind of surprised that no one else can carry any of this.† He translated again: â€Å"She says if you're really such a famous Strigoi killer, then this shouldn't be a problem.† I was filled with great relief when downtown came into sight†¦ only we kept walking past it. â€Å"Oh, come on,† I said. â€Å"Where the hell are we going?† Without giving me a backward glance, Yeva rattled off something. â€Å"Grandmother says Uncle Dimka never would have complained so much,† Paul said. None of this was Paul's fault; he was just the messenger. Yet, every time he spoke, I kind of wanted to kick him. Nonetheless, I kept carrying my burden and didn't say anything else for the rest of the walk. Yeva was right to a certain extent. I was a Strigoi hunter, and it was true that Dimitri would have never complained about some old lady's crazy whims. He would have done his duty patiently. I tried to summon him up in my mind and draw strength from him. I thought about that time in the cabin again, thought about the way his lips had felt on mine and the wonderful scent of his skin when I'd pressed closer to him. I could hear his voice once more, murmuring in my ear that he loved me, that I was beautiful, that I was the only one†¦ Thinking of him didn't take away the discomfort of my journey with Yeva, but it made it a little more bearable. We walked for almost an hour more before reaching a small house, and I was ready to fall over in relief, soaked in sweat. The house was one floor, made of plain, weatherworn brown boards. The windows, however, were surrounded on three sides by exquisite, highly stylized blue shutters overlaid with a white design. It was that same sort of flashy use of color I'd seen on the buildings in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Yeva knocked on the door. At first there was only silence, and I panicked, thinking we'd have to turn right around and head back. Finally, a woman answered the door-a Moroi woman. She was maybe thirty, very pretty, with high cheekbones and strawberry-blond hair. She exclaimed in surprise at seeing Yeva, smiling and greeting her in Russian. Glancing over at Paul and me, the woman quickly stepped aside and gestured us in. She switched to English as soon as she realized I was American. All these bilingual people were kind of amazing. It wasn't something I saw very often in the U.S. She pointed to a table and told me to set everything there, which I did with relief. â€Å"My name's Oksana,† she said, shaking my hand. â€Å"My husband, Mark, is in the garden and should be in soon.† â€Å"I'm Rose,† I told her. Oksana offered us chairs. Mine was wooden and straight-backed, but at that moment, it felt like a down-filled bed. I sighed happily and wiped the sweat off my brow. Meanwhile, Oksana unpacked the things I'd carried. The bags were filled with leftovers from the funeral. The top box contained some dishes and pots, which Paul explained had been borrowed from Oksana some time ago. Oksana finally reached the bottom box, and so help me, it was filled with garden bricks. â€Å"You have got to be kidding,† I said. Across the living room, Yeva looked very smug. Oksana was delighted by the gifts. â€Å"Oh, Mark will be happy to have these.† She smiled at me. â€Å"It was very sweet of you to carry these that whole way.† â€Å"Happy to help,† I said stiffly. The back door opened, and a man walked in-Mark, presumably. He was tall and stockily built, his graying hair indicating an age greater than Oksana's. He washed his hands in the kitchen sink and then turned to join us. I nearly gasped when I saw his face and discovered something stranger than the age difference. He was a dhampir. For a moment, I wondered if this was someone else and not her husband, Mark. But that was the name Oksana introduced him with, and the truth hit me: a Moroi and dhampir married couple. Sure, our two races hooked up all the time. But marriage? It was very scandalous in the Moroi world. I tried to keep the surprise off my face and behave as politely as I could. Oksana and Mark seemed very interested in me, though she did most of the talking. Mark simply watched, curiosity all over his face. My hair was down, so my tattoos couldn't have given away my unpromised status. Maybe he was just wondering how an American girl had found her way out to the middle of nowhere. Maybe he thought I was a new blood whore recruit. By my third glass of water, I began to feel better. It was around that time that Oksana said we should eat, and by then, my stomach was ready for it. Oksana and Mark prepared the food together, dismissing any offers of help. Watching the couple work was fascinating. I had never seen such an efficient team. They never got in each other's way and never needed to talk about what needed doing next. They just knew. Despite the remote location, the kitchen's contents were modern, and Oksana placed a dish of some sort of potato casserole in the microwave. Mark's back was to her while he rummaged in the refrigerator, but as soon as she hit start, he said, â€Å"No, it doesn't need to be that long.† I blinked in surprise, glancing back and forth between them. He hadn't even seen what time she'd selected. Then I got it. â€Å"You're bonded,† I exclaimed. Both looked at me in equal surprise. â€Å"Yes. Didn't Yeva tell you?† Oksana asked. I shot a quick look at Yeva, who was again wearing that annoyingly self-satisfied look on her face. â€Å"No. Yeva hasn't been very forthcoming this morning.† â€Å"Most everyone around here knows,† Oksana said, returning to her work. â€Å"Then†¦ then you're a spirit user.† That made her pause again. She and Mark exchanged startled looks. â€Å"That,† she said, â€Å"is not something that's widely known.† â€Å"Most people think you haven't specialized, right?† â€Å"How did you know?† Because it was exactly how it had been for Lissa and me. Stories of bonds had always existed in Moroi folklore, but how bonds formed had always been a mystery. It was generally believed they â€Å"just happened.† Like Oksana, Lissa had generally been regarded as a non-specializing Moroi-one who didn't have any special ability with one element. We realized now, of course, that bonding only occurred with spirit users, when they saved the lives of others. Something in Oksana's voice told me she wasn't really all that surprised I knew. I couldn't figure out how she'd realized that, however, and I was too stunned by my discovery to say anything else. Lissa and I had never, ever met another bonded pair. The only such two we knew about were the legendary Vladimir and Anna. And those stories were shrouded by centuries of incomplete history, making it difficult to know fact from fiction. The only other leads we had to the world of spirit were Ms. Karp-a former teacher who went insane-and Adrian. Until now, he had been our biggest discovery, a spirit user who was more or less stable-depending on how you looked at it. When the meal was ready, spirit never came up. Oksana led the conversation, keeping to light topics and jumping between languages. I studied her and Mark as I ate, looking for any signs of instability. I saw none. They seemed like perfectly pleasant, perfectly ordinary people. If I hadn't known what I did, I would have had no reason to suspect anything. Oksana didn't seem depressed or unhinged. Mark hadn't inherited that vile darkness that sometimes seeped into me. My stomach welcomed the food, and the last of my headache faded away. At one point, though, a strange sensation swept through me. It was disorienting, like a fluttering in my head, and a wave of heat and then ice coursing through me. The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came on, and I hoped it'd be the last of that demon vodka's ill effects. We finished eating, and I jumped up to help. Oksana shook her head. â€Å"No, there's no need. You should go with Mark.† â€Å"Huh?† I asked. He dabbed at his face with a napkin and then stood up. â€Å"Yes. Let's go out to the garden.† I started to follow, then paused to glance back at Yeva. I expected her to chastise me for abandoning the dishes. Instead, I found no smug or disapproving looks. Her expression was†¦ knowing. Almost expectant. Something about it sent a shiver down my back, and I recalled Viktoria's words: Yeva had dreamed of my arrival. The garden Mark led me to was much bigger than I expected, enclosed in a thick fence and lined with trees. New leaves hung on them, blocking the worst of the heat. Lots of bushes and flowers were already in bloom, and here and there, young shoots were well on their way to adulthood. It was beautiful, and I wondered if Oksana had had a hand in it. Lissa was able to make plants grow with spirit. Mark gestured me over to a stone bench. We sat down side by side, and silence fell. â€Å"So,† he said. â€Å"What would you like to know?† â€Å"Wow. You don't waste time.† â€Å"I don't see any point in it. You must have lots of questions. I'll do my best to answer.† â€Å"How did you know?† I asked. â€Å"That I'm shadow-kissed too. You did, right?† He nodded. â€Å"Yeva told us.† Okay, that was a surprise. â€Å"Yeva?† â€Å"She can sense things†¦ things the rest of us can't. She doesn't always know what she's sensing, however. She only knew there was a strange feel to you, and she'd only ever felt that around one other person. So she brought you to me.† â€Å"Seems like she could have done that without me having to carry a household's worth of stuff.† This made him laugh. â€Å"Don't take it personally. She was testing you. She wanted to see if you're a worthy match for her grandson.† â€Å"What's the point? He's dead now.† I nearly choked on the words. â€Å"True, but for her, it's still important. And, by the way, she does think you're worthy.† â€Å"She has a funny way of showing it. I mean, aside from bringing me to meet you, I guess.† He laughed again. â€Å"Even without her, Oksana would have known what you are as soon as she met you. Being shadow-kissed has an effect on the aura.† â€Å"So she can see auras too,† I murmured. â€Å"What else can she do? She must be able to heal, or you wouldn't be shadow-kissed. Does she have super-compulsion? Can she walk dreams?† That caught him off guard. â€Å"Her compulsion is strong, yes†¦ but what do you mean, walk dreams?† â€Å"Like†¦ she'd be able to enter someone else's mind when they're asleep. Anyone's mind-not just yours. Then they could have conversations, just as if they were together. My friend can do it.† Mark's expression told me that was news to him. â€Å"Your friend? Your bondmate?† Bondmate? I'd never heard that term. It was weird-sounding, but it made sense. â€Å"No†¦ another spirit user.† â€Å"Another? How many do you know?† â€Å"Three, technically. Well, four now, counting Oksana.† Mark turned away, staring absentmindedly at a cluster of pink flowers. â€Å"That many†¦ that's incredible. I've only met one other spirit user, and that was years ago. He too was bonded to his guardian. That guardian died, and it ripped him apart. He still helped us when Oksana and I were trying to figure things out.† I braced myself for my own death all the time, and I feared for Lissa's. Yet it had never occurred to me just what it would be like with a bond. How would it affect the other person? What would it be like to have a gaping hole, where once you'd been intimately linked to someone else? â€Å"He never mentioned walking dreams either,† Mark continued. He chuckled again, friendly lines crinkling up around his blue eyes. â€Å"I thought I would be helping you, but maybe you're here to help me.† â€Å"I don't know,† I said doubtfully. â€Å"I think you guys have more experience at this than we do.† â€Å"Where's your bondmate?† â€Å"Back in the U.S.† I didn't have to elaborate, but somehow, I needed to tell him the whole truth. â€Å"I†¦ I left her.† He frowned. â€Å"Left as in†¦ you simply traveled? Or left as in you abandoned her?† Abandoned. The word was like a slap in the face, and suddenly, all I could envision was that last day I'd seen her, when I'd left her crying. â€Å"I had things to do,† I said evasively. â€Å"Yes, I know. Oksana told me.† â€Å"Told you what?† Now he hesitated. â€Å"She shouldn't have done it†¦ She tries not to.† â€Å"Done what?† I exclaimed, uneasy for reasons I couldn't explain. â€Å"She, well†¦ she brushed your mind. During brunch.† I thought back and suddenly recalled the tickling in my head, the heat rolling over me. â€Å"What does that mean exactly?† â€Å"An aura can tell a spirit user about someone's personality. But Oksana can also dig further, reaching in and actually reading more specific information about a person. Sometimes she can tie that ability into compulsion†¦ but the results are very, very powerful. And wrong. It's not right to do that to someone you have no bond with.† It took me a moment to process that. Neither Lissa nor Adrian could read the thoughts of others. The closest Adrian could come to someone's mind was the dream walking. Lissa couldn't do that, not even for me. I could feel her, but the opposite wasn't true. â€Å"Oksana could feel†¦ oh, I don't know how to explain it. There's a recklessness in you. You're on some sort of quest. There's vengeance written all over your soul.† He suddenly reached over and lifted my hair up, peering at my neck. â€Å"Just as I thought. You're unpromised.† I jerked my head back. â€Å"Why is that such a big deal? That whole town back there is filled with dhampirs who aren't guardians.† I still thought Mark was a nice guy, but being preached to always irritated me. â€Å"Yes, but they've chosen to settle down. You†¦ and others like you†¦ you become vigilantes of sorts. You're obsessed with hunting Strigoi on your own, with personally setting out to right the wrongs that whole race has brought down upon us. That can only lead to trouble. I see it all the time.† â€Å"All the time?† I asked, startled. â€Å"Why do you think guardian numbers are dwindling? They're leaving to have homes and families. Or they're going off like you, still fighting but answering to no one-unless they're hired to be bodyguards or Strigoi hunters.† â€Å"Dhampirs for hire†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I suddenly began to understand how a non-royal like Abe had gotten his bodyguards. Money could make anything happen, I supposed. â€Å"I've never heard of anything like that.† â€Å"Of course not. You think the Moroi and other guardians want that widely known? Want to dangle that in front of you as an option?† â€Å"I don't see what's so wrong with Strigoi hunting. We're always defensive, not offensive, when it comes to Strigoi. Maybe if more dhampirs set out after them, they wouldn't be such a problem.† â€Å"Perhaps, but there are different ways of going about that, some better than others. And when you're going out like you are-with a heart filled with sorrow and revenge? That's not one of the better ways. It'll make you sloppy. And the shadow-kissed darkness will just complicate things.† I crossed my arms over my chest and stared stonily ahead. â€Å"Yeah, well, it's not like I can do much about that.† He turned to me, expression surprised once more. â€Å"Why don't you just have your bondmate heal the darkness out of you?†

Africa for Investors Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Africa for Investors - Speech or Presentation Example This paper is an informative speech about Africa. Since time in memorial we have had a perception that Africa is the darkest continent. But has anyone of you taken an initiative to research more about Africa? As I stand here I hope there is no one amongst you branding me an African ambassador. It’s just that I have visited one of the African countries and done more research about other African countries.   I have been to South Africa. Do not ask me whether I saw the lions and the monkeys because there are more to that than you can imagine. From the profound glades and mountains, the flowers, the rivers, hills and the valleys, the seas and the deserts delineate the phase of the Dark Continent.   From the beaches which thaw the coldness we experience during the winter. The heavy equatorial rainfalls and the rumbling of the summer thunders are enough to shake hell out of you. Africa is defined by unique sceneries and dramatic structures that shape out the landscape. Their str ict culture and love for visitors, is enough to send an eternal happiness down ones’ spinal cord. The quiet and calm forests bring a sense of restoration from our rather noisy environment. With all the beauty described, I still wonder why some of us have a negative attitude towards Africa! Sometimes in fear, I have been left flagger basted whether one should concede to the war-torn nations. Fear is the biggest enemy for development. In particular fear for the unknown.  Sometimes in fear, I have been left flagger basted whether one should concede to the war-torn nations. Fear is the biggest enemy for development. In particular fear for the unknown. Africa is beautiful, it is amazing and it is a good ground for investments. From my research it is true that there are some countries which suffer pain of aggressive conflict. These include; Libya, Somali, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Algeria and democratic republic of Congo. Let us now turn to the hard facts. There are about 54 nations in Africa. The countries with related conflicts do not exceed 10 in number. We are left with approximately 46 peaceful African countries. It should not be forgotten that the causes of the conflicts are simple, which might need our intervention in a more noble way. Poverty, leadership wrangles, the vast rich resources and human degradation are some of the things that leave Africans in persistent shadow of despair. For those who read the bible we are told to be our brother’s keeper. How can we be termed as children of God if we cannot empathize with the plight of our fellow people? Ladies and gentlemen, as we are gathered here facts must be told! Though it may sound implausible to the skeptics, Africa is ordained to prosper! Let us have a closer look at the some of the countries that were war-torn but peace now reigns within the nations. Despite having some few issues here and there, peace is being restored in Sudan.

The Philosophical Naturalism Of David Hume Essay

The Philosophical Naturalism Of David Hume - Essay Example Humes influence is evident in the works of quite a lot of other philosophers, among whom are: Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham, Charles Darwin, and Thomas Henry Huxley. The diverseness of these writers shows what they gleaned from reading Hume; it reflects not only the richness of their sources but also the wide range of Humes empiricism. Contemporary philosophers recognize Hume as one of the most thoroughgoing exponents of philosophical naturalism. David Hume sought to develop more fully the consequences of Locke's cautious empiricism by applying the scientific methods of observation to a study of human nature itself. He was of the opinion that we cannot rely on the common-sense pronouncements of popular superstition, which illustrate human conduct without offering any illumination, nor can we achieve any genuine progress by means of abstract metaphysical speculation, which imposes a spurious clarity upon profound issues- that we are entirely unjustified in thinking that we can ever know anything about matters of fact. He thought that the alternative is to reject all easy answers; employing the negative results of philosophical skepticism as a legitimate place to start. Hume felt that since human beings live and function in the world, we should try to observe how they do so. The key principle to be applied to any investigation of our cognitive capacities is, then, an attempt to discover the causes of human belief. According to Hume, the proper goal of philosophy is simply to explain why we believe what we do. His own attempt to achieve that goal was the focus of Book I of his book, the Treatise of Human Nature and all of the first Enquiry.

Literary Analysis by Amy Hempel's. In the cemetery where AL Jolson's Essay

Literary Analysis by Amy Hempel's. In the cemetery where AL Jolson's Buried - Essay Example The narrator recalls how her only visit to the hospital was to see her best friend, who wore a surgical mask as a result of her condition and she had to do the same. Her visit had taken a quite some time because she was largely procrastinating, as the narrator did not have the courage to see her friend in such a state. From the very beginning the narrator and her friend talk about inconsequential things and then the plot sheds light on all the other fears the friend fears, such as fear of flying and fear of earthquakes; however, the main fear that the narrator is experiencing is largely the fear of losing her best friend. The story intertwines many complex human feelings such as love, attachment, communication, death and dying, and the process of grieving for the loss of loved ones. It could be deduced that despite being an aviophobe, she flies all the way to a hospital near the California coast; which is also one of the most earthquake prone areas in the United States. Thus, her wis h to see her friend during her last moment, is not only about the narrator finally confronting her friend’s imminent death but also facing all the other stimuli in her life that caused her to become increasingly fearful. (Henderson, 2001) Furthermore, the fact the narrator used to drink Canadian ginger ale and pretend that they were in Canada, is a brilliant allegory used by the author to describe the narrator’s mindset that how she uses her imagination in order to bend reality. The communication between the two friends actually the demonstrate the closeness between the two. The stories they share and the light-hearted humor that brings to the story is clearly an example of how one becomes avoidant at a crucial stage like this. The stories they share shed light in to the emotional conflict the narrator is experiencing, for instance when the narrator speaks about the first chimp was taught to speak , also lied. This shows that human beings are very similar when it comes to embracing the truth. They would lie not only for some dubious reason but the lies are in fact intended to protect them from the harshness of the truth. Therefore, out of the five stages of grief outlined by Kubler-Ross the origin of denial largely stems from the fact that the individual refuses to be honest with him or herself. The aforementioned ideas clearly demonstrate that the narrator’s fluency in the language of grief. Ideas like â€Å"the smarter knows when to disobey†¦Ã¢â‚¬ is actually another parallel that the author drew in order to underline the narrator’s for her sincerity towards her friend but at the same time, she must abandon in order to hide from the pain of watching her friend die in front of her. There are a number of other metaphors in the story that is not only appropriate to describe the narrator’s ordeal but is true for every human being. The narrator states: â€Å"So I hadn’t dared to look any closer. But now I’m doing it – and hoping that I will live through it† No one has the nerve to see eye to eye with their worst fears but certain circumstances may cause an individual to face his or her fears; even though, it may seem like their fear is so excessive that it might kill them but is obviously not necessarily so. The narrator was afraid beyond her wits, every time the thought occurred to her that her friend may die and she was close to abandoning her but yet somehow circumstances do not allow her. She believes

Scheduling apps impact on public transportation Essay

Scheduling apps impact on public transportation - Essay Example In order to bring about sanity in the transport industry, a number of applications were brought forward as a means of enhancing efficiency in the sector and improving service delivery to the customers. Some of the applications include Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar. The recent surge in scheduling apps has had a major impact on the taxi industry with benefits for the consumer; however, the applications seem to threaten the status quo of the for-hire transportation business. Based on such a perspective, this paper discusses the various attributes of the apps in the taxi industry, considering both the benefits and the threats to the different players in the industry. Since the emergence of new entrants into the industry such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, there has been significant changes, especially on the structural aspects, which still operated on the mentality used decades ago (Yue, 2014). Previously, any person in need of the taxi or car services had to wait physically at one of the city streets or call on one of the taxi or car services, which would take long before making arrival. Such inconveniences significantly affected the operations of the industry, an aspect that would only be rectified by the use of new apps. As such, the different apps including Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, made it easy for customers to use their smartphones in securing taxi and car services from any particular location. Such has significantly improved service delivery and efficiency of operation, especially for customers. However, on a different perspective, the technological changes in the transport industry have threatened some players in the industry, most especiall y those who benefited from the old infrastructural operations in the industry (Stephanidis, 2013). The scheduling apps in the transport industry with the entry of players such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar have had a substantive impact in the industry

Primark- Between Affordability and Ethics Essay

Primark- Between Affordability and Ethics - Essay Example Primark’s name has also come to be associated with the employment of child labour and illegal immigrants. The company has a good ethical record in the sphere of environment and animal rights. However, the corporate practices of Primark do leave scope for ethical scrutiny. The top management of the company does need to formally recognize these ethical lacunas and take immediate steps to arrest its dwindling ethical credentials. Executive Summary Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 Discussion 4 2.1 Labour Practices 4 2.2 Environmental Concern 6 2.3 Ethical Corporate Practices 6 2.4 Animal Rights 6 3.0 Conclusion 6 4.0 Recommendations 7 Reference List 8 1.0 Introduction Primark is a clothing retailer of Irish origins that has its stores in United Kingdom, Austria, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Ireland. Primark primarily tends to sell clothing items that affiliate to the budget segment of the market. Thereby it has to face an immense competition from vari ed other budget segment clothing retailers. Ostensibly speaking Primark commits allegiance to a code of ethics and the company expects its suppliers to follow the principles inherent in this code of ethics and strictly requires the suppliers and factories dealing with Primark to make it certain that the products supplied to the Primark are made by workers employed in good working conditions, and that these workers are treated in a humane and decent manner and are paid fair and wages (Primark 2013). However, in the recent times Primark has been in the eye of the storm owing to a range of issues that happen to go starkly contrary to the company’s professed code of conduct. This report intends to analyze the fact as to how Primark lives up to its ethical claims by considering the performance of Primark over a range of ethical parameters like the international codes of labour practice, complying with environmental norms, affiliating to corporate ethics and animal testing of produ cts. The report in the light of the conclusions drawn from this analysis also intends to facilitate some recommendations. 2.0 Discussion A careful perusal of the official website of Primark testifies to the fact that formally speaking the company has a code of ethics in place that claims allegiance to a range of imperatives pertaining to labour practices, environment, animal rights and ethical corporate practices. However, an extensive research into the media reports tells a different story. In the light of the available facts, it will be utterly insightful to analyze the ethical claims of Primark over a range of parameters. 2.1 Labour Practices The official code of ethics promulgated by Primark expects its suppliers to assure that the products supplied to Primark are made in working conditions that are good, safe, hygienic and humane (Primark 2013). The company also expects the suppliers and factories manufacturing Primark products to make it certain that at no time and in no way t hey violate internationally recognized codes of labour practice and abstain from practices like child labour, forced labour, paying unfair wages, excessive working hours, and meting inhuman and illegal treatment to workers (Primark 2013). Moreover, Primark joined Ethical Trading Initiative in 2006, an organization that tends to solicit the support and cooperation of a range of stakeholders like Non-government Organizations, corporations and trade

High and Law Involvement Buying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

High and Law Involvement Buying - Essay Example An example can be, when one wants to purchase a product like hair gel, that is from different companies and they have a similarity in price. The consumer has to find a difference to convince them to buy one product and this makes a great impact on the consumer’s decision. On the other hand, a consumer may be confused in purchasing two similar goods but which are different, in terms of quality and price. This also, can be known as ‘high involvement in buying’ and the consumer usually looks for what will be favorable for them financially and the best quality (Groucutt, Leadley , Forsyth (2004). An example could be seen when one may be interested in purchasing a TV and they have to decide between a high quality one that is very expensive versus an average one that is of a much lower price. However, effects of advertisement fall under short persuasion. These effects are not obvious but in order to understand them, there has to be a measure of these effects. To underst and these effects, a beam balance can serve as a good tool. Two brands are put on either side of the beam, it can only take a very small feather to cause a change on the balance when placed on one side of the beam. Feathers can represent balancing effects in this case instead of heavy weights. Examples of items that have a high involvement decision-making are highly priced items like cars, vacations, appliances. There is a great similarity between low-involvement items. In most cases, they are identical. It is never a major concern for customers on which of this products to buy. Advertisement effects are often greater in the low involvement products. With high involvement decisions however, there is more concern about the outcome of the weighing up process, so there is the thought about how much weight is given to each feature (Groucutt, Leadley , Forsyth (2004). This features include, quality, size or power. There are usually both positive and negative aspects involved and the more complex a product is, the more complex the assessment. If a brand is favored by an advertisement, it does not necessarily have to persuade people to buy it. All it does is to raise awareness about the product. Even though it is not easily noticeable, advertisement plays a great role. These is however visible after a significant amount of time. After the process repeating itself, small increments produce major perceived differences between brands. Considering that the making a decision to purchase the newspaper presents no significant challenge and the decision does not impact the buyer’s lifestyle significantly, low involvement buying applies to advertisement 2. This is also reinforced by the fact that people appreciate how low a chance they have at winning the high price given the number of participants that try their lack. In this sense, the potential reader does not take a lot of time deciding whether or not to buy the product. In fact, in most cases, the potential custom er is little influenced by the advert as he/she has a preconditioned mind whether or not to buy the paper with or without the advert. The advert 1 below involves low involvement buying. This is because it not of much concern as it is concerned with entertainment, which has no great impact on a person’

Reflection on Business Models Implied in Academical Course Essay

Reflection on Business Models Implied in Academical Course - Essay Example One of my long term goals is to become a manager. Once I reach that goal I will reflect back on my college experiences including this course to apply the skills and abilities I developed through the educational process of attending college. During the class, the professor emphasized the importance of reading. Students have to develop study habits because to learn one has to dedicate time to feeding data and information to the brain. The prefrontal cortex has to be developed since this part of the brain has the decisional power of a CEO (Schmidt). The course helped me realize the power and applications that modeling has. A model can be used to create a physical product such as designing a new car model. Organizational charts can be used to visualize a model in the workplace. One of the most practical applications of modeling is mathematical models using formulas that can be expressed with the assistance of software tools such as Microsoft Excel. Business models can be used to make bet ter decisions by managers or other decision makers in a company. Models can help a person break down processes into simple components. I imagine a person that wants to start a business of selling ice cream. This person needs to create a business model to succeed. Testing marketing applications such as offering discount coupons in flyers can be done through the use of statistical models. I learned that modeling improves the quantitative skills of a person. Any time a student is exposed to mathematical problems their quantitative reasoning skills will be expanded. I have learned since I was in elementary school that the only way for a person to improve their mathematical abilities is through practice. Four types of models that were discussed during the course were one-time use models, decision support models, embedded models, and models used in business education. The efficiency of the embedded and decision support models greatly increases with the integration of computers and other t echnologies in the modeling process. I learned in class that some of the benefits of modeling are that it can prevent errors, reduced costs, and increase business intuition. For instance, an accountant can create a model to predict the future sales of a company. The sales model can be used to make many operating decisions such as determining the amount of inventory, labor, and marketing budget needed to achieve a desired level of sales. The four steps in the modeling process are framing the problem, diagram the problem, build a model, and generate insight. I learn in class that for this process to occur the person has to start off by framing the problem correctly. Imagine a company that loses its profitability. The manager will look for clues to identify and frame the problem. The manager must be patient and analyze all aspects of the business to find the answer. A lazy manager that assumes that higher cost is the root of the problem without investigating the matter has done a bad j ob of framing the problem. The strategy chosen by the manager might backfire because the root of the problem might be that the company is using obsolete technology that is inhibiting the ability of the firm to produce goods as efficiently as the competition. One of the models that caught my attention the most during the course was strategy analysis. I think that these types of business models should be used more often by managers in the industry. Today the business world is changing at an accelerated pace.

Mathmatics in our world Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mathmatics in our world - Term Paper Example This means that the likelihood of errors occurring would increase. This technique allows you to solve for the zeros of the quadratic equation much easier and simpler than other methods. There are many different equations and mathematical sequences, which have been discovered by mathematicians that yield intriguing properties. For example, the Fibonacci sequence and the Mandelbrot set are famous mathematical constructs dealing with patterns of number that have a specific set of problems. Euler, another famous mathematician, came up with an equation that gives prime numbers: x2-x-41. In this problem, it is useful to try and find descriptive data in order to see the pattern in the quadratic as a model of predictability. In the case of the data that was used, all were prime numbers. Therefore, in order to see if it was possible to solve for a composite using Euler’s formula, it shows that the answer is non-real. Assumptions and restrictions are used everyday in real world modeling, such as in finance and

Best Teacher Essay Example for Free

Best Teacher Essay I was the kind of child that always struggled to pay attention in school. I never wanted to be in class, except to visit with my friends. At times I wanted to drop out of school. I always felt like school was a big waste of time. Until I met a teacher named Mrs. Meyers at Kent Mountain View Academy. Mrs. Meyers is a teacher that is the most influential person in the world, (but the world doesn’t know it yet), I really admire her because she always encouraged me to go to class and treat other teachers and students with respect, and to try my best. If I ever needed any extra help in homework; she was there, it didn’t matter which subject it was. She always told me that I was very smart and to never to doubt myself. Mrs. Meyers is easy to talk to, I could just tell her anything because she’s very honest and talks to me (or anyone for that matter) openly about anything in life. She was always ready to listen to me when I was feeling down. With her comfort and warm words I always felt better and important. When I needed some advice, she was there for me. She is my friend, my mentor and like a mother. Mrs. Meyers has a great passion and love to teach children. She has so much patience to sit down with them and explain the work to them. She never makes the school work boring; she always made it fun and exciting and easier to learn. She always did it with a smile on her face, even when she wasn’t feeling well. If I had one hour to spend with Mrs. Meyers, I would ask her what influenced her passion for teaching children, how did her life experiences influence her to be a teacher, and many other questions relatable to that. I would ask these questions because she’s a great person, and who doesn’t want to know about a great person? I hope one day I could feel that same passion, care and love that she has of teaching and helping children like the way she help me. She completely changed my life around and made me a different person the one I am today. Mrs. Meyers was the one person who influenced me the most and to whom I am very thankful because she gave me the inspiration to become a teacher or at least strive to do my best at whatever job I choose. I am very glad that I met her and I think that without her I would never do as well as I do in school. Or in life for that matter.

The Brief Introduction Of Globalization Cultural Studies Essay

The Brief Introduction Of Globalization Cultural Studies Essay Globalization is something that has been with the human race ever since the world has begun. From local to global, we could attribute this to the result of human innovation and technological progress. Globalization from the word global means spreading throughout the world, in other words spreading world-wide. The aims of having a globalized community is to have interdependence of the entire world and its people from each other with concern for the rest of the world at the expense of national self-development and self-interests. Globalization became world-wide popular about 1992, when most people talked about it mainly in the field of economy. But today, it has been spoken of as a fashion word, and it attracts much attention from he academic scholars. The reason is that globalization has been an unstoppable world trend which changes the whole world so greatly that no countries and nations can be separated from it. But what is globalization? Before answering this question, we have to admit that there is no universal definition about it. This is because the concept of globalization doesnt come into the form at the very beginning in human history. It develops into the present being through a long historical process. Widely speaking, it refers to the exchanges and utilizations among different resources and production factors, and the interactions, conformity and coordination of human activities and their achievement. Therefore, it includes at least two essential factors: firstly, the activity in space must overstep one area or one nation, at the same time it has to show the trend of continuing development. Secondly, the participants should be related to each other, not being isolated. B, The constitution of globalization ¼Ã¢â‚¬ º Besides, the constitution of globalization involves many fields of human society, including economy, politics, culture, ideology and so on.. Dating back the history of globalization, it began from the economic expansion, and it was Europeans that lift the curtain of globalization when they established colonies beyond their own counties. And then follow the expansion of culture, civilization, region or ideology, etc. 2 Some main features of globalization and the according reasons of them. A, Integration of world economy First of all, globalization is mainly drived by the profit of economy. From the above introduction, we know that globalization started by the expansion of colony, from which colonists gained a lot of money , in other words, they build their treasure by doing so. Therefore , today the integration of world economy is regarded as the foundation, main cause, motivation and symbol of globalization. It is first shown by the internationalization of manufacturing systems. The world production has undergone a historical transformation since the 2oth century, under the influence of development of technology and the promotion of technological revolution as well as the application of mass production factors. Many big companies of developed countries build their companies or factories in overseas countries where they could make full use of the native labor force and other resources by paying lower cost. Whereby the could form huge multinational corporation which greatly promotes international pro duction. Economic integration through trade, migration, capital flows and communication flows has been officially around since 1870. This new concept could noticeably profit if based on D. Ricardo economic theory of comparative advantage. The latter theory states that each country should produce those products/services, which they can produce/provide with the lowest opportunity cost and total production cost. Hence, allowing all countries to produce and trade in the most efficient way so that the highest attainable welfare for all countries is reached. Nowadays, multinational coporations have overspreaded among more than160 countries in the world. They take 40 percents of the whole worlds total output value; 90 percents of the world market shares, 80 percents international economic trade, 90 percents of the international technological trade. In 1996, the number of the multinational corperations reached over 44000. They invested their capitals to overseas to make s greater profit. With the furthering opening of the market and the expansion of the trade scale, the world manpower and material and technological resources are all absorbed into the world production systems, in which they are interdependent and impartible with each other. Besides, a huge mount of financial capital move at a high speed in the range of whole word. Since the World War11, drived by the market demands and investing interest, a large mount of money has been use beyond the issuing countries. With the exploration of overseas business and production and development of technologies, financial capital finally broke from the constraintion of national boundaries and practical tools which made become real international citizens. A study shows that the current financial capital market in the world has reached 35000 billion dollars, and the overseas capital reached more than 1000 billion dollars. The sum of international financial capital is not only large in amount but also move at a fast speed. Owing to the modern science and technology, the treasure activity with a huge sum of money can be conducted by a call or whatever fast means. With the huge treasure accumulation high movement of the international financial capital, the pace of the integratio n of world economy has highly been accelerated. Whats more , the formation of world market also offers a good environment for the integration of world economy. World market refers to place which provides a room for world- wide exchange of products, servers and technologies. It originally started between the 16th century and the 18th century and underwent a fast development in the 19th century, and came into the form in 1970s. The current world market is a veritable global universal market, whose main symbols shown in the way the sharp expansion of the exchange scale, the unification of the market rules and the expansion of market capacity and overseas business. Globalization, no matter as a phenomenon or an economic trend, deeply affects every country in the world. Economies of every country are becoming more related. They infiltrate, influence and depend on each other more and more. Globalization has become an inevitable fact and trend that will not change with peoples will. It brings challenge as well as opportunity to each country. Every country are active to get into the way of globalization by adjusting their economic and diplomatic polices. B, Integration of world culture; Culture and economy interdependently support each other, because they often develop hand in hand. With the global application of production factors, global capital flows and the formation of world market, different cultures from various nations and areas are surely to exchange, conflict and integrate each other in the range of globe. The conflict and collision of different cultures help to speed up the metabolism of a new culture and form a mechanism for developing the superior and weeding out the inferior and initiate the ideological trend of parochial nationalism and cultural hegemony but cannot result in the homogeny and unification of the cultures, which is bound to result in a harmonious situation through such conflict and integration and finally reaches a state where balance is kept. The reason for this phenomenon lies in that the cultures reserved through a long history reflect the thought, ideology, ways of thinking and living of humans. They bear some unusual values and the existence of themselves has certain special meaning. It is of the same importance to keep cultures in diversity as we do to different biology, because the diversity of culture lays an essential foundation for the sustainable and sound development of human society. People with the competence thinking rationally and reflections are surely to realize that the ruin of the diversity of culture means to the ruin of our humans spiritual home and the cultural resources , which could push human beings to an abyss of unsustainable existence and development. Therefore, it is vital important for us to carefully protect our cultures in diversity as we do to animals and plants and keep them from ruin. The integration of global culture refers to different cultures coexist and intergrow harmoniously under the same sky. As an important content and symbol of globalization, culture is the magnification of the integration of globalization in all directions. Geographically speaking, it includes the conformity of the west and east cultures; seeing from national perspective, it includes the integration of the cultures of both native and foreign areas; considering form different levels, it includes the integration of both individual and collective cultures, and folk and official as well as academic cultures; viewing from the essence of culture it includes the integration of the scientific culture and the literary culture; from the connotation of culture perspective it also includes those aspects on sense of value, ways of thinking, structure of knowledge in different counties and areas. All these aspects provide a vital foundation for the integration of global culture, and it also serve as an important precondition of the realization of economic globalization. However, Globalization is sword with two blades. For one thing, it helped to highlight a nations culture, draw on the srength of other cultures and contribute the cultural diversity. For another, some small countries native culture are being challenged. Their distinctive cultures are driven towards extinction. For them, to preserve national identity is a must. Anyhow, it is an unavoidable for a country to take part in globalization. or else, it will be kicked out of world competition sooner or later. So, what merits our special attention is how to keep and promote native culture under globalization. The priority is to enhance the cultural awareness of native people, make them cherish and glory in ones countrys culture. When the native people take initiative to protect and promote their own culture, no matter what influence globalization exerts, native culture will not be replaced. Inclusion, globalization has gi ven rise to a greater sense of nationalism in many countries and therefore has helped people to realise and protect their own national identity including their culture from these outside forces. Therefore although globalization is changing the way a lot of us behave/eat/dress and even speak it has also helped to highlight aspects of our own cultures. C, Intergrowth of world ecology; Human activity is an exchange of material, energy, and information process with the natural world which can result in intensive ecological effects. With the speeding up of the integration of world economy, humans production scale and consuming ability are largely expanded and increased, which has seriously affected the ecological environment on the earth and it has greatly changed the world from its content to its magnification. ecological integration refers to the intergrowth of human and nature to reach a common prosperity in the same ecological system. And it also means that the whole humans existence and future development deeply rely on the quality of our ecological environment. However, the improvement of the environment condition requires our human being to raise our consciousness of protecting it and demands our common efforts to reserve it. As an important part of the globalization, the intergrowth of world ecology is mainly shown by the flowing aspects: Firstly, human beings and all living things coexist on the same planet, in other words , we share the same living space. We are just a part of this world, and existence and development deeply rely on the other parts of the world. People from different nations and areas are interdependent each other, and the world is our common home for all of us. We all have the obligation to take care of the ecological environment so as to get the room for a better future development. Although we are born to have the right to make full use our space and land where we live and belong to, we have no right infiltrate that of others, not mention to the ruin of the whole ecological space that belong to all human beings. Secondly, the ecological resources are possessed by all human beings. It includes such factors as air, water, sunshine, land, temperature and so on, which are absolutely indispensable for people to live on this planet, which also change the peoples activities and enable them to make a large amount of achievement by taking advantage of them. Seeing from the present condition, the serious pollution of environment is caused by people partially persrue economic growth and leading a consuming lifestyle , but concerning the pollution-maker, it is some individual coporations who make huge profit at the cost of environment that are main responsible for such matter. As peoples environmental protection consciousness gradually raise, they begin to take actions to fight against pollution, defend and maintain their environmental right, and ask to punish those who contribute to environmental pollution. Their behaviors lead to the formatiom of a trend of environmental protection. Thirdly, the global resources are shared by people around the word. Humans as a part of living things, we cannot do without consuming different resources offered by the nature. However, the resources on the earth are not inexhaustible, besides they belong to everybody, so they should be allotted fairly among people of different areas and generations. Therefore, any country and any generation shouldnt meet its own interest at the cost of that of other countries and generations. We dont have the right to impair the interest and potential development of others or our future generation. Peoples idea about sharing resources among areas and generations leads to the raising consciousness of defending their right in sharing the common resources in the range of globe, which helps to lay a theoretical basis for the application of a sustainable development. At the fourth place, human beings are confronted with the same problems and disasters. We have no choices but to live in the same ecological environment on this planet. We are faced with the same disasters as severe air pollution, deterioration of water quality, desertification, acid rain, ozone hole, etc. All these problems have seriously affected peoples living environment and their life quality. According to the study of the World Health Centre and American Disease Controlling Centre, each year, air pollution has made a negative effect on peoples heath of about 4-5 billion, and 40% of the world populations deaths are caused by air pollution and other environmental problems. Their conclusion is that humans activities improper behaviors on the earth are ruining themselves. At the fifth place, all human beings are responsible for the ecological environment. Human could do nothing without the support of earth, which provides essential materials for us. Since many of environmental problems that the earth facing are caused by human activities, thus to resolve such issues, it needs the common efforts of all people around the world. As a member of the world society, we have the full reasons to take part in the social activities to protect our common ecological environment, to keep the global ecology in balance and to beautify our common homeland. D, Mutual recognition of people in the world; Men are the center and main part in the process of globalization, so the development of globalization is out of mens sense of global view and the increase of their mutual understanding each other in certain degree. However, on the other hand, the essence and magnification of globalization stimulate mens practice and enhance the mutual recognition and understanding. In other words, peoples mutual recognition around the world can both be regarded the cause and precondition of globalization as well as the content and magnification of it. These two aspects are interdependent and mutual reliant in the process of globalization. But what does peoples mutual recognition refer to? It means that peoples mutual understanding and recognition of different countries and areas air highly increased. The interaction of their sense of value and way of thinking are also strengthened. The reason for this firstly is due to the expansion of the communication scale and the acceleration of human source exchange. Todays world is a widely opened society, with more and more people participating in such activities in business, economic trade, cultural exchange, and touring, etc, which take place in different countries and regions. The all-direction exchanges and interaction are sure to strengthen a better communication and understanding. However, Globalization itself is a process that is completely ,uncertain and keep changing, which make it hard for people to come to consist in views of globalization because of different knowledge background, even we have had lots of consistent conclusion. Difference in knowledge and value orientation may cause different ideology, even inside of capitalism and socialism. All that difference come out all kinds of globalization theories with different ideology. Theory comes from real world and will serve the real world, so those different globalization theories will also affect the globalizations natural progress. Thats the ideological problem during the process of globalization, itself or implied. But such ideology difference doesnt hold the main trend of mutual complementation by frequent contact under the help of modern communication tools. The communication and understanding between people in different region are transformed via the way of information exchange. Under the help of the modern communication technology and the increase of the input information, people can have a better international view toward the world. Nowadays, we have entered a society of knowledge economy, the main feature of such society is shown by taking information technology as the essential technology, and treating information industry as the leading industry. By the end of 1998,over 100 million computers had put into use by internet, and more than 500 million people become net citizens, the main page of internet amounted to over 130 million with the sharply increasing trend by 100 thousand pages and 20 million new words around the world each year. As for other communication means, such newspapers, it increases 5 times as fast as the previous year, and list will go on. The highly developed communication technology and information industry has fa cilitated the communication of people around the world and provided a sound precondition for a better interaction. Peoples mutual recognition is firstly shown by the increase of the level of peoples recognition of the present mutual understanding. Before the modern times, owing to the backwardness of communication means, people of different counties and nations were isolated from each other, so communication between people in sun situation seldom happened, not mention to mutual understanding. Nowadays, people of different areas can get contact with each other in a more direct way, under the help of modern communication technology, by a close intercourse. The popularization and attachment to the education of the world history and world geography greatly strengthen peoples understanding of the world theoretically. At the same time, the modern technology of media and the development of traffic tools has shortened the distance of people in different areas and deepened the communication between people living far away. Peoples mutual recognition is also shown by the emulation and assimilation of their way of thinking and behaving. For example, people tend to pursue a more proper and sound lifestyle. They are likely to leading a life in which they could realize their value. In the production field, the industry means begins to mode from extensive form into intensive form in order to reach a more environmental growth and a sustainable development. In the way thinking, people are likely to change from a closed way to a more open way, from reserved manner to a more original manner, and unilateral to multilateral. Besides, peoples mutual recognition is also shown in the way of infiltration and assimilation of peoples sense of value. The sense of value is the essential part of human culture as well as the guidance of peoples action. The trend of globalization can be accepted by the people around the world, because they share some common concepts such as in culture, politics, way of economic development and especially in the way of thinking. Its hard to imagine if people dont share the simmilar ideology on these aspects, what the world be like. 3 Summary In conclusion, with the rapid development of globalization, we are living in a global village, and it has allowed a better communication flow amongst More Developed Countries (MDCs) and Less Developed Countries (LDCs). It has enabled trade to grow, capital and education flows to increase and a better allocation of resources to be met around the world. There are many gains from globalization for companies around the world, some Multi-National Enterprises (MNEs) that locate themselves in LDCs bring along growth and development, like for example employment, technology knowledge, profit reinvestment among other factors to host countries. Nevertheless, there are several negative aspects about globalization as well. For instance, MDCs have a tendency to profit from globalization in various ways when negotiating with LDCs. MNEs that go to LDCs for example, gain from cheaper labor force, cheaper land and tax rates. In the end however, some MNEs end up negatively affecting the host countrys economy by taking all profits back home, socially, by polluting the environment and finally also politically by paying bribes to the local governments to reduce tax rates or other fees. In spite of its controversial position in different regions, some countries like the Asian tigers or the Asian New Industrial Countries (NICs) have gained incredibly from globalization in the past 30 years. Other continents however, have proved themselves not yet ready for such a change. An example of the latter is Africa and South America, where due to different factors like corruption, low education level, weak political policies and poor transport infrastructure globalization hasnt been able to benefit them in a high rate like in Asian. It is therefore up to each county to decide and control Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and gain from it or not. Summing all of the above, globalization is a long time process of in the humans history. Though we couldnt give a definite definition to it, observing from it main constitutions and the features of them, we can have a overall idea about it. It features is firstly shown in the economic field, because the globalization is basis on the development economy which provide the essential precondition for globalization. Then follows the feature in culture. Culture is the carrier of any human civilization, therefore it is another important constitution of globalization. Just like the integration of world economy, people can also benefit from the integration by learning from each other. However, while we bear the diversity of different cultures we should also keep our nationalism. We also talked about the intergrowth of global ecology, because ecological system is very vital for human beings existence. It provides the basic material for our life, in other words, without the support of ecology, we can do nothing. While we are enjoying various resources that the nature offers to us, we also have to bear the obligations to preserve it from ruin. At last this paper also mentioned the mutual recognition of people involved in the globalization, because this is another precondition of globalization, as well as an important factor for mutual understanding. With the mutual recognition and understanding globalization can be achieved and can have a better development. It is true that there may be some negative effects of globalization, however, with its more merits , we have to admit that the trend of this tide will continue.